Under
normal circumstances, an under-graduate joining the Royal
Auxiliary Air Force would not have warranted the publication
of a book, however as this was 1939, it was therefore a very
different matter and the events of that summer resulted in
what was perceived at that time to be a “weekend flying
club”, becoming a fully operational Royal Air Force
squadron.

This
excellent recently published volume records the exceptional
wartime experiences of Denys Braithwaite. This young man from
a prosperous Yorkshire family who was studying at Cambridge
University when war broke out, quickly found himself “in
for the duration” and was soon flying with 608 Squadron
on coastal patrol duties around the British Isles. This initial
relatively uneventful period was followed by hazardous tours
of duty with 521,139 and 45 squadrons. Piloting the famous
Blenheim, Gloster Gladiator and Mosquito aircraft, he flew
on a wide range of missions, that included both short and
long range meteorological and reconnaissance flights as well
as many daring Pathfinder operations deep into enemy territory.
His remarkable wartime duties took him far and wide, operational
tours around the coast of the UK and occupied Europe, pre-ceded
training duties in the U.S.A., before he finally took command
of a fully operational squadron based in India - flying on
operations against the Japanese in Burma.

As
one can imagine, Denys lost many of his colleagues and friends
whilst on active service during the dark years of the Second
World War, however he survived, despite being involved in
several major crashes and was decorated by Queen Elizabeth
(the Queen Mother) with the D.F.C. and Bar. He lived a long
and active life and thus was able to tell his remarkable story
in this superb book, which I am sure, will fascinate a wide
audience of readers from the aviation and military historian
to the layman alike.

Admiral William Canaris head
of the Abwehr (the German Secret Service between 1935 and
1944, was described by his Russian opposite numbers as “the
most dangerous intelligence man in the world!” However
despite his high profile and most trusted position and originally
being loyal to “the old Germany”, he gradually
became disenchanted with Hitler’s Nazi regime and as
evidence shows, he became involved in an aborted coup d’etat
in 1938. As war broke out, it was his belief that Germany
could not win and it is then, he commenced a “campaign
from within” to sabotage Hitler’s war machine.

This unique volume - the first
ever biography of Admiral William Canaris to be published
in English, is based on original research by the author, who
having spent a vast amount of time delving into both the British
and German archives, tells the fascinating story of a most
intriguing man, who was personally involved in a number of
what many considered to be foolish acts during the Second
World War. These included a secret meeting with the head of
British Intelligence in Gibraltar in 1942 in attempt to bring
about peace, to saving the lives of many Jews. As Canaris’s
connections with Winston Churchill dated as far back as the
Great War, he actually leaked the German invasion plans to
Churchill and in a further attempt to delay the same invasion,
he also overestimated the strength of British forces in reports
back to Hitler!

Throughout the war, just one
man - Reinhard Heydrich Chief of the SS Intelligence Service
suspected Canaris and eventually threatened to tell Hitler
of his exploits, however within a few weeks, Heydrich was
assassinated by the British and Canaris lived another day.
Canaris’s fate was eventually sealed in the aftermath
of the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler. He was arrested by
the Nazis and executed in the last week of the war.

I enjoyed this excellent title
immensely and am sure it will provide fascinating reading
for those with a serious interest in military history. It
includes superb photographs of the personalities involved,
an organisational chart of the Abwehr as well as a detailed
bibliography to assist with further reading.

There
is no doubt that the Great War was an horrific experience
for the majority involved in it and as we now know, for the
average soldier to survive well over four years of trench
warfare, it was a remarkable feat. However Laurence Attwell,
a young man from London did survive and so did the extraordinary
letters he wrote home to his immediate family and now thanks
to painstaking research and editing, his Great Nephew has
produced this fascinating volume which I am sure will enthral
military historians, family history researchers as well casual
readers alike.

As
war broke out, Laurie, a very capable twenty-six year was
working as a Post Office clerk and like thousands of other
young men at that time, answered Kitchener’s call “
Your Country Needs You” and joined the 1/15th Battalion
of the Civil Service Rifles, an infantry battalion attached
to 140 Brigade, forming part of 47 London Division. After
several months initial training, in Watford, he was assigned
to the Military Police Unit of that battalion, before sailing
to France in March 1915 as part of the British Expeditionary
Force.

Serving
with distinction on the Western Front throughout the war,
he saw action at Festubert, Givenchy, Loos, Vimy Ridge, Ypres,
Messines, Gavrelle and also Cambrai. Here, like many others,
he was exposed to the extreme dangers of war, he suffered
hardships and often lived in the most atrocious of conditions
imaginable, however despite these factors, Laurie always succeeded
in writing regular letters home. These extraordinary personal
documents written in a wonderful style, graphically recalled
what life was like in the trenches for the young soldier miles
away from home, so much so that his family often shared the
contents of his correspondence with the extended family and
friends, together with the congregation of their local church,
who could not until them conceive the horrors our boys were
experiencing.

Today,
the reader can share the very same letters that were written
by this talented young man what is now, some ninety years
ago! They are now however made even more interesting, by the
addition of extracts from official unit histories together
with supporting foot-notes by the editor.

At
the outbreak of the Great War, Britain’s army was little
more than an imperial police force and although it was professional
in nature, it was not prepared for conflict of this magnitude.
Numbering less than 250,000 men it was severely stretched,
due to the requirement to serve both at home as well as in
the far flung corners of the empire. Our army was also considerably
smaller in size than those of our European neighbours and
more often than not even at home, was considered to be the
poor relation of the Royal Navy, who at that time were projected
to be the true defenders of the realm.

There
was now an immediate need to recruit, train and equip a new
and more efficient army and as the war continued and the years
passed, the number of men in uniform grew to an amazing 8.5million.
This in itself brought its own problems in respect of feeding,
clothing, accommodation, equipment, discipline, transportation
and administration, not to mention health and fitness, together
with morale issues.

The
highly respected author of this most informative book has
over 30 splendid titles to his credit and in this important
volume, has provided the reader with a wealth of accurate
and highly detailed information covering all of the above
matters together with a wide variety of other fascinating
subjects from the role of women in uniform through to officer
selection, new weapons and arms of service, conscription,
territorials and even the distribution of honours and awards.

The
reader will also find many superb black and white photographs
together with a full breakdown of infantry units and commands
around the globe. There is a superb bibliography included
and a very useful list of military acronyms too, making this
splendid book not only interesting, but invaluable to military
historians, laymen and family history researchers alike.

My
honest opinion, is that this book is a must have. I feel sure
it will soon become a standard reference work covering one
of the bloodiest wars this world has known.

Book
Review by Michael D Booker
(May 2005)

VE
DAY
A Day To Remember

Author:
Craig Cabell & Allan Richards

Publisher:
Pen and Sword Military
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire S70 2AS

ISBN:
1 84415 184 0
Published in 2005

UK
Price: £19.99

Sixty
years ago this month was one of the most significant days
in history for the British nation. Although the campaign in
the Far East against Japan still had some months to run, there
was now at last hope, that the war would soon come to an end.
This, coupled with piece of mind that Hitler’s tyranny
and the evil of the Nazi Reich had at last also gone forever
was cause for much celebration and euphoria.

This
excellent book is an fitting reminder of this historical occasion
and now, as there is perhaps only a minority of the population
still alive who remember this great day themselves, it provides
the reader with an excellent insight as to what it was like
for our ancestors to be given renewed hope of peace and an
end to several years of suffering.

My
Mother told me how she danced around the outside of York Minster
on VE Day with her ATS colleagues and my Grandfather also
spoke of impromptu street parties, whilst uncles were still
at sea with the Royal Navy celebrates in typical naval fashion
– in fact, every family certainly had its own story
to tell and the authors have successfully combined a unique
mixture of historical analysis together with many moving accounts
from individuals, civilians and servicemen and women alike,
to produce this very enjoyable and historically valuable volume.

With
a forward by Frederick Forsyth, there are also many photographs
of street parties included. The most amazing of these in my
opinion and what sums up the day so well, is an amazing picture
taken in Whitehall on D Day - it pictures people as far as
the eye can see – for them like many others, it certainly
was a day to remember.

A
good read and an important addition to any military historian’s
library.

This is the extraordinary
story of George Binney, who at 39 years old in 1940 and too
old for war service, found himself working in neutral Sweden
as a civilian. As this was the time Norway was being overrun
by German forces, he realised he still wanted to contribute
to the war effort. Despite the cynical view taken by the Admiralty
and political objections from various governments, Binney
was persistent and set about breaking the sea and air blockades
of Hitler’s Kriegsemarine and Luftwaffe in the North
Sea area, to run vital cargoes of specialist Swedish steel
to Britain.

In 1941 five of his ships
successfully reached our shores with their valuable cargo
intact and therefore approval was given for subsequent attempts.
Unfortunately they were not always as successful as the first
expeditions and sadly these daring missions ended when six
ships were either scuttled or sunk.

Not being one to admit defeat,
Binney later helped organise a further series of operations
to and from the Swedish coast. Sailing from the Humber in
often severe weather conditions and under constant threat
from the much strengthened German defences, fast motor gun
boats were now used, this time unusually sailing under the
auspices of the Red Ensign.

This certainly is a most interesting
book which has been produced thanks to the author having the
unique access to Sir George Binney’s personal manuscripts
and other fascinating archive documents. I am sure therefore,
that it will be of tremendous value to those with an interest
in matters naval, as well as the Second World War in general.